Celebrating Reefs of Hope by Lake Geneva

Was it the near-clear blue of the sky, the warm late afternoon light, or the proximity of the lake, a perfect aquatic element in such circumstances? Whatever it was, on this Wednesday, August 21 on the shores of Lake Geneva, conditions were optimal to celebrate the Red Sea's coral reefs and the key notion of regional collaboration in their preservation.

Indeed, what better setting than Geneva and the Quai Wilson, where not only a gentle breeze was blowing, but also, and above all, the spirit of dialogue that is the hallmark, and makes reputation of the host city of the UN's European headquarters?

This, in a nutshell, was the ideal setting for the event co-organized that day by the TRSC and the Diplomatic Club of Geneva. Its aim was to draw the attention of a select audience of distinguished guests to the importance of Red Sea corals, which are resistant to climate change, and to invite them to discover the photo exhibition showcasing the conservation efforts being conducted by the TRSC and its regional partners to preserve these “Reefs of Hope”.

Among these 100 or so persons were representatives of the scientific and diplomatic community, of international organizations working for peace and the preservation of natural ecosystems. Leading representatives of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and a sbstantial delegation from EPFL, the academic institution hosting the TRSC, were also present.

The VIPs who spoke at the opening were the perfect symbol of the spirit behind the TRSC initiative: Raymond Loretan, President of the Diplomatic Club of Geneva, as Geneva's host of the exhibition; Katharina Füglister, Director of International Affairs at EPFL; Ambassador Alexandra Baumann, Head of Prosperity and Sustainability Division of the Swiss Foreign Department of Foreign Affairs, who supports the initiative as part of the Swiss Confederation's scientific diplomacy; Ambassador Kadra Ahmed Hassan, Permanent Representative of Djibouti to the United Nations in Geneva, as the exhibition showcases the missions carried out by the TRSC in Djibouti in recent years; and finally Prof. Anders Meibom, Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Anders Meibom, Director of the Transnational Red Sea Center.

But even more than these officials, it was the eleven scientists from five of the Red Sea countries - Eritrea, Djibouti, Israel, Jordan and Sudan - who embodied the reality of the initiative and gave it its full meaning and human dimension. They happened to be present for the occasion because they were taking part in a training workshop at EPFL that same week. Two of them, Dr Ibrahim Souleiman from the University of Djibouti, and Prof Osama Saad from the Red Sea University in Port Sudan, speaking on behalf of their colleagues, underlined the importance of such a Swiss-lead initiative to promote regional collaboration, the only relevant approach to preserve Red Sea corals from potential sources of pollution and local destruction.

The exhibition, conceived and deployed with the support of the Hans Wilsdorf and H. Dudley Right Foundations, is visible until September 2.